


i never said sorry...

by whathegeometry



Category: Ranger's Apprentice - John Flanagan
Genre: Apologies, Awkwardness, Love Confessions, M/M, Sparring, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, but it's okay because, gilan knows, gilan knows everything, horace is a dork, horace is guilty, horace says shit a few too many times for it to be G, will is a dork, will understands
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-04
Updated: 2020-03-04
Packaged: 2021-02-28 22:48:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 693
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23015050
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/whathegeometry/pseuds/whathegeometry
Summary: Will looked over at the boy next to him. The kind blue eyes, the straight brown hair, the boyish, handsome face.. they were all the same. Will had memorized those features on many an occasion.But something was wrong.Had there always been something, a sadness, living in those eyes?
Relationships: Horace Altman/Will Treaty
Comments: 12
Kudos: 49





	i never said sorry...

**Author's Note:**

> My first Archive fic and my first Willace! EEEE! I really hope you guys like it!
> 
> The story takes place during The Burning Bridge, while Horace and Will are training with Gilan en route to Celtica.
> 
> {disclaimer: these are john flanagan's characters and i don't claim to own them in any way. i am not profiting off of this work.}

"No, come on!" Gilan said. "You can do better than that, Horace! Hit him again!"

Horace swung his practice sword at Will, and Will easily swiped it away with one of his sticks, which were supposed to simulate his daggers without the chance of severe injury the daggers brought with them.

Gilan was right, Will thought. Something was off with Horace today. And Will was determined to find out what was plaguing his best friend's thoughts.

"Hmm. Well, I'm going to go start dinner," Gilan said with a look of mild concern. "You two keep practicing. And maybe try to figure out what's bothering our knightly friend while you're at it?"

As Gilan walked off toward the tents, Will and Horace took up their arms. They went at it for a couple more rounds, but Horace's heart wasn't in it. Usually Horace trounced the younger boy, for as Horace had been training with the sword for over a year, Will had just begun close combat training with his knives. But today, Will managed to overcome the knight-in-training on more than one occasion. As they sat down on a log to take a break, Will looked over at the boy next to him. The kind blue eyes, the straight brown hair, the boyish, handsome face.. they were all the same. Will had memorized those features on many an occasion.

But something was wrong.

Had there always been something, a sadness, living in those eyes?

After a minute or two of uncomfortable silence, Horace broke the silence, mumbling something the other boy could barely hear.

"I'm sorry."

"What?"

"I never said I was sorry, Will, I..." There was a tightness in his voice that Will had never heard before. 

"Horace.."

"I never apologized, Will! I treated you like a piece of shit, walked all over you like you were nothing... and I never even had the guts to come up to you and say I was sorry!" Horace was almost shouting now. "Will, I-"

"Horace!"

Horace stopped talking, surprised at the outburst that had come from the young Ranger.

"Horace, just stop." Will looked into those sad blue eyes. They were sparkling, with... were those tears? 

"Horace, you know that what you did and said hurt me. But you know what, I am here now, today, with you. I choose to believe that people can change, and you're different now... stronger, kinder, wiser... and besides, that was more than a year ago... and I was rude to you, too, Horace. We've both changed since the ward. Things are different now, and you-"

"But, Will, you.." Horace was definitely crying now. It pained Will to see his best friend like this. "Shit, Will, you just mean a lot to me, and It's so important to me that you still care. I mean, you're the reason I'm here today. You've done so much for me. You saved my life, more than once, and what have I done for you..."

Horace trailed off. Another tear snaked down his face, towards his jawline, and instinctively, Will used his cloak to wipe the tear away. "Horace, you saved my life too. You're one of the bravest, kindest, most incredible people I've ever met, and I couldn't have done any of this without you."

Will moved a little closer, so the two boys were shoulder to shoulder. 

"Will... you're my only friend. Promise you won't leave?"

Will sat down on the ground and put his head in the larger boy's lap, looking into his boyish, handsome face.

"Never."

Horace suddenly blushed and looked away.

"I love you, Horace Altman."

Will said it almost inaudibly.

Horace turned back to look into will's anxious, freckled face.

Instead of answering, he gently pressed his lips to Will's. Softly, almost gingerly, completely out of character for the knight-in training.

"If you hadn't noticed, Will, I love you too."

* * *

Gilan watched as the two boys slowly became intertwined, completely absorbed in each other's presence.

And he smiled.

He might've been smiling at the cute, romantic scene,

but he was more likely smiling at the thought of the 5 gold pieces he'd just won from Baron Arald.

**Author's Note:**

> Willace are my favorite dorks and they must be protected at all costs.
> 
> PLEASE TELL ME IF YOU LIKED IT!!!!!!!


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